Trump’s Birtherism Backfires

Last updated on: March 26, 2017 at 10:30 pm by Kermit Zarley

Trump’s Birtherism Backfires 2017-03-26T22:30:48-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Democratic U.S. President Barak Obama has always claimed that he was born in Hawaii and thus is qualified as a natural-born U.S. citizen to be its president. But non-politician and billionaire businessman Donald Trump surged to political prominence, and then gained the Republican nomination for U.S. president this summer, largely because he constantly alleged that Obama was born elsewhere and thus should produce his birth certificate to prove his legitimacy as president. President Obama let too much time pass until Hawaii officials produced his birth certificate. Yet Trump kept up the allegation afterwards for many months until he said only days ago that he now accepts it as fact that Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen. Yet he never apologized for his constant proliferation of this misinformation about a sitting U.S. president. I think that in itself is most disgraceful. Trump lives in his own world. He just expects that the rest of us should, as they say in his home state of New York, “fuggetaboutit.”

Trump also had been saying that Democratic nominee for U.S. president Hilary Clinton–Trump’s sole opponent with a few weeks left until the national election on November 8th–had made the same charge against Barak Obama when they vied as opponents for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president in 2008. But all the fact-checking organizations claim that is a total fabrication. Plus, Trump has never produced evidence to prove this allegation. This issue surfaced last night in the first of three televised debates between Clinton and Trump. Moderator Lester Holt set the record right by telling Trump he was wrong about it. As so often, Trump didn’t accept being told he was wrong. During the debate, Hilary tossed a zinger at the Trumpster by saying, “Donald, you live in your own fantasy world,” or words to that effect.

Mrs. Clinton really pressed Trump on his refusal to make public his income tax returns of recent years. For the past forty years, all candidates for U.S. president did that. But Trump has claimed that he is presently being audited by the IRS, and you shouldn’t make public your tax returns while being audited. He also claims the IRS has audited him each of the past several years, so that the last time he publicly divulged his tax return was 2008. Yet some people who are or have been IRA officials claim it is not necessary to withhold such information while being audited. Then in the debate, Hilary told Donald the obvious and plain truth, that his failure to make public his recent tax returns looks like he has something to hide.

The Trump train is rolling down the tracks mostly on the The Donald’s constant assertion that he is for the middle class and people who don’t make much money. He says he is going bring back jobs to America. But a lot of hard-working Americans who have to pay their income taxes every year would become pretty upset with the blustery billionaire if they learned he has not paid any federal income taxes for maybe 20-25 years, yet he makes so much money.

Last night in the debate, Hilary Clinton told Donald Trump it looks like he hasn’t paid federal income taxes for many years. Trump interrupted her and said, “That means I’m smart.” That remark appeared as a gaffe, an admission that Hilary was right. That won’t set well with a lot of taxpayers. I don’t care if he didn’t do anything illegal; such a person should not become U.S. president.

Months ago, Newsweek magazine asked the Trump campaign to produce a letter that everyone gets from the IRS that informs them they are being audited. The Trump campaign refused to reveal such a letter and merely replied by saying a letter from Trump’s lawyer about the audit could be viewed on their website. But that letter reportedly says nothing about an “audit.”

Lawrence O’Donnell is a political analyst and host of The Last Word television program that appears Monday through Thursday nights on prime time on MSNBC. He has been alleging for months that Donald Trump is lying about this, that the IRS is not auditing him. In March this year, O’Donnell had former IRS director Mark Everson on his program. He asked him if Trump is being audited. Everson said a regulation prevents the IRS from divulging if any U.S. citizen is being audited. And current IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said some time ago on C-SPAN that it is very rare for an individual to be audited successive years.

Trump’s lawyers say he has “sole proprietorships” in some 500 different entities, making his personal tax returns “inordinately large and complex.” But one former IRS official said the public could know a lot if Donald Trump only produced the first two pages on his federal tax returns. Actually, we all should have thought of that. They summarize all of the return’s data, show your taxable income, and state the amount of tax you have to pay.

So, Donald Trump refusing to make public his income tax returns is similar to President Obama going for a while without making public his birth certificate. I think he did that because he felt so insulted. But then it finally happened. Will Trump do the same? For the good of the country’s electorate, if he really wants to Make America Great Again, he needs to do it before November 8th. If not, Trump’s birtherism is backfiring on him and he could be found to be only trying to Make Trump Great Again.

Donald Trump is so critical, so judgmental, and a braggart. We all need to memorize a certain statement Jesus made in his Sermon on the Mount; but The Donald needs to do like Orthodox Jews and wear it on his forehead. (But I don’t think his Orthodox Jewish son-in-law could get him to wear a kippah; it would mess up his hair.) Jesus said, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7.1). He added, “For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye” (Matt. 7.2-5 NRSV).

Is Trump lying about being audited? It appears he is not going to make public his recent tax returns before election day. As I said in my last post, he has accused several of his opponents in this race to the White House of lying; but it’s The Donald who fact-checkers have proved is the biggest liar by far. If the bully Trumpster is lying about this, that the IRS is not currently auditing him and he is really hiding some stuff that would make him look pretty bad, and we the public ever find out about it, even after the election, which is most unlikely, the name Donald Trump will forever be absolute mud in the land of the free and the brave.

Previous Post

September 26, 2016

Trump Choked Tonight

Next Post

September 29, 2016 Congress Rejects Obama's Veto of Justice Against Terrorism Act

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Rich Young Ruler The Lost Sheep The Pharisee The Prodigal Son

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »